An extra pair of eyes in the dark.

Media

More detailed information

Changes may have been made since these images and films were produced.

At night on unlit or poorly lit roads, obstacles are not spotted until the last moment. Night View Assist in the S-Class or CL-Class from Mercedes-Benz offers the driver additional powers of vision here.

An infrared camera shows the road in a brighter light, as if high beam were switched on – but without dazzling oncoming traffic.

When Night View Assist is activated, the display in the instrument cluster switches from the standard speedometer dial to a display presenting the Night View Assist image – the speed is then shown on a bar-type speedometer at the bottom edge of the instrument cluster.

At the push of a button, Night View Assist reveals what otherwise remains concealed in the dark, displaying a video image directly in the driver's field of vision. On night-time journeys, the video image on the large 8-inch TFT display helps the driver to recognise both "warm" objects, such as people and animals, and "cold" obstacles, such as rocks or lost loads, and to take the necessary evasive action. This is a major advantage over conventional thermal image systems, which do not recognised "cold" obstacles.

The range of the two infrared headlamps to the right and left of the radiator grille corresponds to that of standard bi-xenon light in high-beam mode – with the advantage that oncoming traffic is not dazzled because infrared is not visible to humans. The illuminated road scenario is filmed by an infrared camera located inside the vehicle at the top edge of the windscreen. This camera "sees" what the driver misses with his naked eye and relays the traffic situation to the multifunction display as a high-contrast grey scale image in the driver's direct field of vision. The displayed image is similar to the view through the windscreen when high beam is switched on.

The driver has a clear overview of the course of the road, the traffic situation and any obstacles over a large distance, enabling him to identify critical situations earlier and to react more quickly. At over 150 metres the infrared light's range is around twice that of the powerful low-beam light of bi-xenon headlamps, for example. This all makes driving in the dark substantially safer.